


The Morning Sun

by orphan_account



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Background Character/NPC Death, Canon disabled characters, F/F, Gen, Jacob "Morningstar" Sa'ul (Original Character), Multi, Original Character(s), Other, this is a mess
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-04
Updated: 2017-05-31
Packaged: 2018-10-14 22:51:20
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death
Chapters: 8
Words: 15,058
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10545688
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: When the sun begins to set in the west, it also begins to rise in the east.Thus begins the endless cycle of both beginning and end.-- tldr another fic of an OC joining OW. what a twist. -- on hiatus. Sorry!





	1. Sunset(Prequel)

**Author's Note:**

> this is a fic about an oc. hes really neat i think. i dunno. ill add more when i feel like it. enjoy. Edit--- rewritten

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Awkward silence is not a substitute for an answer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> not really the first chapter as it is a sort of pre read for shits and giggles

From the beginning, there was not much more than the golden sea of warm sand that surrounded him as far as the eye could see. Dunes that slowly rolled with the wind, looking like massive waves as if he were standing on some sort of dusty ocean. It was always hot, but it never really bothered him. A young child with thick, dark cherry hair and copper skin stood barefoot in loose, baggy clothing. He was waiting with his mother, who towered over him like a statue and her shadow shielded him partly from the sun’s unforgiving rays.

Truly their little area was some sort of jewel in the desert, not much of a village as it was a caravan of sorts. Almost every member (few though they were) had a similar appearance to the boy, but he alone had dark red hair and freckles that littered his face. Music quietly played and there was the sound of some tired singing that went with the tune, for the day was long and the work exhausting. Jacob was his name, that he knew well, He knew a lot of things. He knew his last name was Sa’ul, his favourite colour is red, he liked apples and he was five years old.

There was a lot of things he was aware of, surprising for his age. What he also knew was that he was different from a lot of people he had met in his life, though unsure just exactly how. The colours around him were far more vivid than in the eyes of others, contrasts he could see often blinding. Sound caused a strange array of shapes and colours in his mind, and the memories of things he has heard echoes within his consciousness endlessly. Jacob couldn’t talk very well, and disliked talking to strangers. Strangers often disliked talking to him, so usually things worked out.

There was a small crowd gathered around him, not only the members of their little group but travelers as well here after a long walk in the sand to trade and socialize. Jacob’s mother was looking at fabric, and he was practically fed up with waiting in such a busy area. He didn’t want to hang around all day; he wanted to explore and play. Jacob slipped his hand away from his mother’s and ran off, weaving through the surrounding people and ignoring his mother’s calls. Instead he laughed and dashed away from the carpets and people and headed for one of the dunes.

He turned to see his mother looking very upset with his behavior, parting the crowd to follow after him. Jacob wasn’t paying attention and slipped amidst running up one of the dunes, rolling back to the bottom and stopping with an exhausted giggle. Curly hair stuck to his forehead and his clothes were absolutely dusted with sand, but he didn’t really mind. A shadow suddenly loomed over him and he squinted slightly to see the angry face of his mother looking down at him with her hands on her hips.

Jacob gave her his best puppy-eyed pout, and stared her down until her face melded from that of a stern, lecturing figure into that of a tired, yet happy mother. She hooked her arms under his and lifted him up with a smile, the gesture making the boy laugh again until the memory suddenly blends into a mixture of vibrant colours and indistinguishable voices and noise before fading to black. It was dark for but a moment, and he suddenly found himself staring nothing.

 

“Jacob. Jacob.”

 

Jacob blinked furiously, trying to remember what exactly it was he was doing. The memory fades into the back of his mind and he looks up from the weathered book he was reading and sees his mother. She was a bit older, her hair slightly greying and pulled back under a bright scarf. She had bags under her eyes and lost a bit of weight since he was younger due to her work, and she was gently tapping the table before him to get his attention. Right, he thought. We’re at the library. Reading. What was I reading? Jacob favours a glance back to the material before him before his mother taps the table again.

 

“Jacob, when you are done reading that page, is it alright if we go home? We have been here for a while, and it is getting late.” The book was about robots and coding. He liked robots. Omnics were especially fascinating to the young man. After a second he looked back up to his mother, who gave him a tired smile. Jacob didn’t really want to go home--he wanted to stay here in the quiet and reread the book he spaced out trying to absorb. 

But his mother did look tired, and with a strained grunt he closed the book and went to follow her.  
Thirteen. That’s how old he was. The age of voice-cracking, fidgeting, and general uneasiness around people his own age. Then again, that may just be how Jacob works. 

He didn’t know. He didn’t really care. The way other people thought, he found, was rather uninteresting and seemed to be quite boring. Meddling with mundane things like actually finishing tasks, or waking up in the morning unhindered by the thoughts that constantly plague their minds. Jacob knew this was petty of him, truly, but that was the truth.

It was just that hard to care about people who thought normally.

Home wasn’t far from the library, and it was only about ten minutes until they finally arrived. Jacob followed his mother inside, the boy’s mind a quiet blur of colours and sounds and faint memories of the book he was reading. Kicking off his shoes at the door he scurried down the hallway as his mother went the opposite direction. It was getting late, admittedly, but he liked the dark and couldn’t exactly wait for the unforgiving sun to finally rest.

Their home was a chalky white, small and almost blinding to the eye as the colour constantly reflected the sun’s rays against all who dare gather before it. His mother wandered about in the kitchen where Jacob was in his room, lying on his back and staring at the bare ceiling. The bed creaked with the slightest bit of movement, and he didn’t exactly enjoy the dry, scratching bedsheets that were currently rubbing against his cracked feet.

Minutes pass, and he continues to just lie there in silence, letting his mind wander far beyond him and letting it lead him. Suddenly, a thought strikes him out of the blue and he frowns. Thirteen. That’s how old he was. He didn’t exactly accomplish much so far in his life, and the dawning realisation of the fast-approaching adulthood shook him. What was he going to do? His mother was a tailor, who thrives when she is in the workplace or doing her own little projects at home.

Father was out of the picture. Jacob’s mother said he had passed away right after Jacob was born, and she does so with a sad look on his face. He had been some sort of storehand. Neither of those professions were something Jacob could do, let alone see himself looking into. What did he want to do with his life? Stay at home all day, reading books and letting the world pass him by was fun enough on his own, but the boy craved adventure.

The shenanigans pulled by the main characters in the daring novels he read proved to be dynamic and challenging, as well as sometimes humorous. The thought of exploring the world in search of greatness wasn’t exactly an original thought, but it was one of the things he liked. He also liked robots, despite not really seeing any Omnics in the miniscule city they occupied. They were too expensive and a luxury item at best. Jacob had all the free time for the next handful of years, perhaps he could do something with it.

Footsteps from outside his open bedroom and down the hall reminded him. His mother. Perhaps he could make something that could help her when he is no longer home. After all, he had to seek out higher education eventually, and the thought of his mother having to work so hard without the emotional ‘support’ of his son was depressing. Jacob rolled out of his bed and shuffled to his desk, plopping down in the wooden chair and digging through one of the drawers of it.

A leather journal and a rather thick pencil were what he was searching for and he flipped to a blank page in the book. Writing down what was going on in his crazed mind helped him, and he muttered a few words aloud about what he was drawing. On the page was a dog-like, mechanical creature. Something that his mother wouldn’t have to take care of, unlike her only child who could hardly handle most tasks. Not like he didn’t have the capacity, but Jacob knew that he just wasn’t a great helper.

Maybe this could fix that aspect about himself by being productive. Wasn’t that the goal-- to work every day to improve yourself and enrich your life with your friends and family along the way? A smile crept on his face as his heart almost flew out of his chest and butterflies filled his stomach. Thrilled with the idea, he worked on.

That was his dream.

He wanted to help others.

 

His mother died later that year, and so did his dreams.


	2. Stars

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Time passes, dreams stir.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this took longer than I thought and I'll beta read it when I die 
> 
> heads up: contains some slurs and a little violence

But when dreams die, they never fully disappear. What remains is a corpse of what was once hope, a dull reminder of what could have been. And in its place, new dreams. Jacob grew, and learned. He went to college in the later years, hopping from place-to-place but never arising from the poor category of civilization. There were never any real job opportunities for him, and nothing he did quite filled the hole in his heart. 

Then, came Overwatch. 

Overwatch. A force once sponsored by the UN to help humanity and ensure its integrity against the evils that plague it. Surely it's some childish dream the government funneled tax dollars into maintaining, Jacob thought once he heard vague rumours about it. It was long gone, surely. 

Right now he was in Germany, housed in some shaky apartment in a shady part of down plagued by rogue Omnics and humans alike that have nothing better to do than pester other young fools trying to get from the store to their house. Namely, Jacob. 

They weren't all even German. Two of the humans had accents he didn't recognize, and they sneered as Jacob shuffled around them, nervously holding a paper bag. A tall, rugged man looms over him. "Where are you going, huh? You think you're better than us?" He barks at Jacob, crossing his arms. A black-haired, raggedly-dressed woman gives him a rough shove and Jacob ends up dropping the bag. Its contents spill onto the sidewalk, and an Omnic with an upside-down tear shaped head gives them a kick into the street. Brown eyes give the contents a stare and look back up at the offending gang members. 

"Now why did you do that? I'm just trying to go home..." Jacob mumbles quietly, his accent butchering his German. The woman scoffs upon hearing him speak, and points a finger at him as if he was an unruly child. "This pillow-biter needs to go back to whatever gutter he crawled out of. Look at him. What are you, some sort of Gypsy?" She grabs him by the hair and Jacob hisses, clawing at her hand. The other humans and Omnics laugh at Jacob's attempts to get away, and he blinks back a few tears. There's a moment of silence from the younger man as he thinks of what to do before giving the woman a swift kick in the ribs. With a surprised gasp he's dropped onto the concrete, and Jacob takes off in the other direction as he hears the rest of the troupe chasing after him. 

Jacob is not exactly in the best condition nor does he have the greatest coordination, and amidst him weaving around a few strangers he slams into a woman. Unlike the thin one who was surely on his tail, she was very toned and had a chiseled face and a determined look in her eyes. She was in the middle of speaking to a shorter blond woman who gives Jacob a concerned look. There was little time for introductions or apologies however, for Jacob was suddenly grabbed by the back of his shirt and into a headlock. 

The larger man from before had caught up to him and grabbed him, warrenting an angry shout from the tall woman he ran into in a language he doesn't understand. "Listen here, you dirty little rat, you can't be seen walking around my streets and surely not hitting my girlfriend like that. So best you apologize before you do something regrettable, eh?" The man snarls into Jacob's ear and he wheezes at the threat. However, before the man can say anything else Jacob is suddenly free. 

The man writhes on the ground to the awe of some of the people around them, and Jacob looks to him while rubbing his neck. The blond woman had apparently whipped out some form of taser and used it on his attacker. The blond woman looks to Jacob, and offers him a kind look. The rest of the man's posse drag the man off and Jacob is ushered by the two woman down the street. "Are you alright?" The blond woman asks him in a soft voice. Her German is far better than Jacob's and he flushes a dark cherry. 

"You did not have to do that..." he trails off as the other suddenly squats down a bit to give him a lookover. "I am looking to see if you are injured. I am very sorry that those people were attacking you, this city...is under some bad influences as of late." Once she seems satisfied she gives Jacob a pat on the shoulder. He doesn't know what to say. 

She turns back to the taller woman and there's a quick exchange between them before the blonde woman looks back to Jacob with a sigh. "Perhaps you could join us for coffee? I would not feel very at peace with myself if I left you here, and so soon at that." She was being so kind to him--both of them, and for what? He felt almost ashamed at the offer, but after mulling over his decisions for a moment he nodded. 

With a kind smile the blonde woman leads him down the street to a cafe, and there they sit in an isolated corner of the room. Angela and Fareeha, they introduced themselves. It turns out they speak English too, but Jacob isn't exactly fluent in it, so they opt for German and Arabic respectively. "So what do you do for a living?" Jacob asks, taking a bite out of a muffin Fareeha had picked out for him. "Oh! Well I used to be a doctor. Now I mostly continue some personal studies I used to work on when I was your age." Angela laughs quietly. Fareeha smiles and takes a sip of her coffee. "I used to be...a sort of police officer, if you will." Jacob quirks a brow, now those were some very respectable professions. "What about you?" She asks. Jacob slouches a bit in his chair, looking down at his own cup. 

"...I am not sure what I want to do anymore. I studied engineering, but I want...I want to help people, you know? My home was under bad influence, like this city, and...I don't know. I work with robots, I-I suppose.." Jacob takes a shaky sip of his own drink as the two women give eachother quick glances. Angela gives the room a glance--it was mostly empty, and she deems it safe enough to bring up a whispered talk. "...I really shouldn't speak of anything what I used to do; but we both had the same dream as you." 

Fareeha, much to Angela's distraught, cuts her off. "If you are really willing to do anything to help, and are as good of an engineer as you say you are, we are leaving tomorrow. Join us." Fareeha huffs, and Angela shoots her a very annoyed look. They have a quick, sort of angry exchange before Fareeha looks to Jacob with a determined stare. "We are apart of something greater, and if you want to dedicate yourself and join, come back here tomorrow in the morning. If not...then do what you will. But I believe you can be a great help." Fareeha nods, and Angela looks annoyed. "It is dangerous, naturally. But if you choose, it will be a life of support for a good cause. Join us in Overwatch if you want. If not, forget we were here."

After that, Jacob is left sitting alone with a napkin with a phone number on it. 'OW. -A' and the digits are scrawled into the paper with a slightly smudgy pen. Jacob sits there, staring at it. Perhaps there is a chance after all. 

In the morning the following day, as Jacob wanders down the street towards the cafe he sees the two women from before. He had called them earlier to confirm that he wanted to leave with them. He couldn't stay here. Though Angela still seems annoyed by the invitation Fareeha gave him, she doesn't seem angry with Jacob at all. Rather, she seems hopeful as Jacob pads closer to the building. His mother would've wanted him to be this open, surely. The colours in his mind are vibrant and there's almost a song quietly playing in his mind. 

Jacob heads over to the two women, and he doesn't look back.


	3. Midnight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Arrivals.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> huehhh

The three of them end up taking a car to the airport. Jacob was holding a backpack of what belongings he had, and fiddled with the gold necklace he was wearing. Fareeha was driving and Angela smiled at the man. "Though she did not have to share the existance of the organization, especially with someone we are...so unfamiliar with, I suppose that's the way it has always gone, hm?" Jacob blinks. "So, we are going to be taking a jet to the Overwatch base that is currently in operation. It will be a little bit of a flight." Angela admits. 

Eventually they reach the airport, and rather than go through the regular gates as the usual passenger would they instead led Jacob through the airfield to a sleek, black jet. It didn't have any serial numbers or identifying marks, rather than a couple of hand-written names on the door in various colors. The three of them shuffle up the stairs leading into it, and it is a lot bigger than it seems, Jacob finds. It isn't like anything he had been in. There are reclining seats facing the front of the jet, and the entire interior is a soothing honey color. Fareeha drops into one of the chairs with a sigh, and Angela stretches as the door shuts. Jacob looks around, wide-eyed with an excited smile. 

"I am going to use the restroom. If you experience any discomfort as we fly, please let me know. Lena will be back here in a moment before we take off." Angela nods before shuffling towards the front end of the jet, ducking under a dark red curtain and instead a short-haired woman sporting goggles speedwalks to Jacob. She seems almost to be bubbling with excitement, and moves to shake Jacob's hand excitedly with two of her own. "Lena Oxton! A pleasure to finally meet you, love! It's been a while since we have had this many new recruits, and I never got a good chance to meet them all personally." She gives Jacob a grin, before it falls with his quiet state. 

"What's wrong? Cat got your tongue? I won't bite, I promise!" She gives him a thumbs-up, and gestures to another chair. "Best buckle up, we're going to take off in just a tick. I'm planning to get us to Gibraltar 'fore tomorrow, of course!" Lena ducks back to the pilot's cabin as Jacob nods, leaving the man with a sleepy Fareeha who gave him the translation. He knew a little English, but not a lot. 

When Angela returned from using the bathroom she sat next to Fareeha, all three of them comfortably buckled in the recliners. Jacob is clinging to the chair as their speed increases and it prompts a good-natured chuckle from Fareeha. 

There's suddenly a voice over the intercom, which Jacob recognises to be Lena. "Alright! We're on-course and should be there in a bit. You can walk around now if you want, and there shouldn't be any turbulence later." Fareeha unbuckles herself and does a few stretches. Jacob shifts in his seat, and looks to Angela. 

She gave him a reassuring smile, and Jacob rolled onto his side in the chair. This...is going to take a while. "...So why were you two in Germany?" Angela tilts her head a little. "Oh, we were visiting some relatives of mine. A couple of my cousins were celebrating the birth of my niece, and I thought we could use a vacation. Lena came along in her new toy." With a quiet laugh she gestured to the interior of the jet. 

Fareeha shakes her head, stifling a snort. Jacob gives a small smile and rolls over onto his other side. He passes a good ten minutes messing with the settings of the seat, and the next twenty staring tiredly at the ceiling and letting the colors in his mind dance idly to the quiet noise of the outside air. Eventually he falls asleep, and is suddenly woken up by Lena gently shoving his shoulder.   
She seems a little tired. Jacob on the other hand, feels a bit like he was hurled several hundred of kilometers an hour thousands of feet above the ground. Oh wait. 

"We're here. I'll give you the grand tour! Angela and Fareeha ran off to get something to eat at the base. C'mon!" Jacob unbuckles himself from the chair and Lena takes his hand, bringing him to his feet. Jacob doesn't have the heart to tell her that he can't quite understand her, not yet anyway. 

He follows after her like a puppy, backpack slung over his shoulder as the two of them step out of the jet and onto the base. 

The first thing he notices is the cliff. They're quite literally settled on the edge of a frighteningly high cliff overlooking the ocean. The multiple buildings overlooking the horizon are rather impressive; Jacob is reminddd of some of the business buildings back in Germany. 

Lena walks him over to the entrance of one of the larger ones, waving a hand excitedly. "I told you I'd be right back!" She laughs. Jacob peers around the brunette to look at what she is greeting. It's a very large, open room with several tables and a large bar-like area leading into a kitchen. A cafeteria? 

Several people are gathered at one of the round tables, includin Angela and Fareeha there was a short man with a beard, a very, very large man with a scar across his eye, some sort of party troll with a large hat covered in bullets, and a man sitting at the end of a table with some form of a visor. Jacob feels a flood of anxiety washing over him, giving the group a weak wave when he sees their eyes on him. 

He knew a little English, but not a lot; he could barely make out Lena's excited shrieking in the first place, using context clues to fill in the blanks of his vocabulary. Jacob didn't, however, need to be fluent to understand that the man with a visor was undoubtedly unhappy with his presence. 

This is going to be a very long day.


	4. Clouded Skies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Definitely not filler.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hmm

There's a heated string of words from the masked man, who towers over Jacob and leaves the poor boy unsure and anxious. Lena is defensive and amidst their exchange Jacob tries to catch some of their phrasings. "I can't believe you picked someone up without notifying me. Overwatch may be legally disbanded but I am still your commanding officer and I will not tolerate this behavior, Oxton." 

The voice coming from the soldier is muffled but heated. Lena stands her ground. "We've all been chosen for this, and we already got new recruits besides him! What's another volunteer for a good cause? The world needs more heroes anyway, Morrison!" Her voice pitches and there's a snarled sigh from the older man. 

The group of people still seated looks at the three of them with concern. A bearded man with a hat shuffles on over to them once he deems it safe to do so and uneasily buts into the conversation. "Listen, listen..." The man raises his hands innocently to counter the sudden glare from Morrison as he continues.

"Gabe done and picked my sorry ass up without your say-so, Jack. And Fareeha and Ang both invited him on his experience...why not give the poor fella a chance?" Shooting Jacob a smile the man ducks away as the angry supervisor labeled Jack swivels to face him. 

"The last thing an illegal goddamn organization needs is another stranger. The recruits we have are all qualified, trusted adults, not brats picked up from the street, Jesse." Jack spits the last syllable out as if it were a curse. "Does he speak English? When is his birthday? What city was he born in?" Jack gives Angela a glance and she winces slightly. In a moment of sheer bravery Jacob moves to speak drawing all eyes on him as he goes on in heavily accented, slightly broken English. 

"...I-If I may, I was under the impression that I--uh, we are all here to help...and given the position, you can't exactly be...picky. I will leave if I am unwanted, but it was my choice to come. Not Angela or Fareeha's. Please do not blame them..." Jacob trails off, averting his gaze. Jesse gives a low whistle, slightly tipping the brim of his outrageous hat.

Jack clenches his fists before angrily prodding at Jesse's chest using a finger. "You're in charge of him. He has a month to fully adhere to the routine and become a proper agent or so help me I will personally make you eat your fucking hat." The taller man warns before storming off in a huff. The whole room was silent during Jack's warning, but idle chatter resumes as he leaves. 

Jesse watches Jack disappear and rubs the back of his neck, giving Jacob a wary look. "...Well, I guess you're one of us now, huh? Ang'll get you settled with a physical and a mental thing or two, and Athena can get you settled..." Jesse pauses, before going to offer the other man a handshake. "But where are my manners. I'm Jesse McCree, pleasure to meet you. Jacob, right?" The curly-haired man nods as he shakes the cowboy's hand. "Jacob Sa'ul." Out of the corner of his vision Jacob spots Fareeha giving him a thumbs-up signal, and he smiles. 

"Uh, no offense but Fareeha said you weren't the best at English. 'Round here it's pretty much the most common thing. You can speak whatever you like a' course, but if you want to get real good at English, I can get you a holopad once yer all settled in here." That was reassuring. Jacob already spoke two languages and knew just a bit of English. He understood more of it than he spoke, but reading it was sure to be a bitch.

Lena suddenly jumps back in with an excited smile. "Well, I'll leave you to it! I'm going to go catch things up with Emily, so I'll see you two later." With a two-finger salute and a wink, Tracer walks down the room and down a hall leading to the rest of this building. Jesse gives her a little wave before turning back to Jacob. 

"So, uh, got any questions?"


	5. Twilight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> leave some comments for me baby

Jacob is looking at himself in the mirror, debating whether or not he likes what he sees. 

Coffee-and-cream complexion with dark freckles scattered across his face. He has bags under his eyes, which he considered the colour of really cheap chocolate. He has a slightly rounded chin and a fuller face than he would like, as well as a crooked nose. That was from falling and breaking his nose and Jacob recalls the dull pain from the injury with a grimace. 

His thick, dark cherry-colored hair hangs loose to the nape of his neck, water rolling off of it. Jacob had taken a ten-minute shower in the community bathroom and has since spent the last five minutes making weird faces at himself in the mirror. He notices he doesn't have freckles anywhere except on his face, and runs a hand across his shoulders with a slight frown. 

Jesse was very patient and kind with showing him around his quarters. His room was in the dorms, and the door opened by sliding upwards. Attached to the doorway was a keypad of sorts and that's where he met Athena. Athena, as it turns out, was not a person like Jacob expected but rather a very complex AI unit that had control of the entire base and was very easy to find because of it. 

After showing Jacob several of the different sections of the base, giving him the key to his room and insisting that he 'register' himself in Athena's database after the meeting with Angela he has at some point, Jesse gave Jacob a bagged set of clothes and excused himself to let the man bathe and get dressed, most likely running off to smoke or something. 

What a day. Jet lag was creeping up on him and the sort of strange colours in his brain were dulled, but still present with his exhaustion. Still wrapped in a towel the man tears open the packaging, giving the clothes a look. It was obviously some form of mass-produced set of training clothes and he's reminded of a gym uniform with them. 

A black, stretchy long-sleeved T-shirt, a white undershirt and a pair of grey sweatpants with the orange and white logo printed on the hip. At least the outfit is somewhat modest, Jacob thinks to himself as he moves to get dressed. He didn't have any other shoes that fit yet, so settled with his black dress shoes and towels his hair as he exits the bathroom. 

The hallways were empty and the man just sort of throws the towel along with the rest of his discarded clothes, playing a bit with the gold necklace he's wearing. When he couldn't find anyone, he opted to give his room a further inspection. 

A good few minutes pass as he fumbles with the keypad. He is absolutely positive that this is his room. Isn't it? Jacob huffs angrily and looks around. He can't get into his own room despite just being showed the password and it's not working, this was so stupid he didn't need this what if someone finds him and thinks he's an idiot or something-- 

Jacob's anxious thoughts are suddenly interrupted with the keypad changing to a different symbol as a woman's voice quietly echoes from the panel. "It seems you are having trouble with the password. Shall I enter it in for you, or change it?" she asks, and Jacob feels a bit of the anxiety settle down. Just a little. 

"...Uh, c-can you open the door...it doesn't like me." Jacob laughs nervously, rubbing the back of his neck as the door opens with a beep and slides away to allow him into his room. It's a modest living quarter with a bed, dresser, and a work desk fit with drawers and a nice-looking swivel chair. There's an industrial-looking grey and black trunk at the foot of the bed, probably for belongings he assumes. 

He shuffles over, glancing to the door as it slides shut behind him and he dives onto the bed, letting out an exhausted sigh. It's not exactly paradise, but the base feels far more like home than anything he's had in the past years. 

Jacob let himself lie there, minutes passing like hours as he shut his eyes and basked in the glory of not having to do anything for a bit. Worries? What worries. He was apart of a great cause and in his own fucking bed and he doesn't have to pay anything, and some people even like him here. Jacob understands there's some physical work he needs to do after he has the meeting with Angela at some point, but for now he can laze about. 

After taking a quick nap he wanders the base until he runs into the cafeteria once more. The people were long gone but there was still some food available and after looking over the ingredients he quickly makes himself something to eat, stuffing his face before he returns to his room. The door opens without a problem this time and Jacob has some fun turning the lights on and off over and over again until Athena tells him off. 

In the desk there are a few spiral notebooks and he passes some time doodling in them before Jesse stops by with the holopad he promised. The English learner app was set up a bit like a game where he would tap boxes of words that are synonymous or antonyms of whatever the main word of the game was. Jesse leaves after the delivery, and Jacob spends a few hours brushing up on his English. 

It made him feel a bit more confident in himself despite the angry red letters that appeared whenever he got an answer wrong, but he uses it to fuel his passion for learning. The sun is going down, and Jacob feels his eyes getting tired as time goes on from him staring at the electronic screen in the dark of his room. At some point there are idle tunes playing in the back of his mind and without noticing, Jacob nods off with the tablet still resting on his stomach. 

When he wakes up, groggy and drool running down his chin, Athena cheerfully alerts him that "Doctor Ziegler wishes to see you in her office.", much to his exhaustion and surprise. Giving a digital clock a look it dawns on him that he somehow slept through the whole night, and it was 9 in the morning. That's...very interesting, considering the fact that his jet-lagging self already had a short nap. Still, after brushing his teeth and washing his face off in the bathroom, Jacob heads out to see if he can find the office in question. 

Take him to the casinos because this guy is one lucky-ass punk, smiling just a little as he spots Angela standing before a door with a clipboard. She was wearing a black T-shirt and comfortable looking blue shorts, with a lab coat on top. She greets Jacob with a smile as he walks over to the woman with a yawn. "I see someone is comfortable. So, are you ready?" Angela gives her clipboard a look-over, opening the door for Jacob. 

Inside is a rather standard-looking medical examination room, and the two walk in and Angela shuts the door. It smelled very sterile and to Jacob it somehow reminds him of how window-washing fluid smells. It was white and bright, a little straining on his eyes but he didn't complain as he sat on the table. Angela gives him a smile and a reassuring nod before she speaks. 

"So, everything you and I talk about here will remain between us." Angela is talking in German, possibly because she understands that English is not yet one of Jacob's strong suits. With a nod from the man, she continues. "I am going to go over your medical history and I will perform a physical to ensure you are healthy enough to safely be an agent here. Please undress." 

Oh boy. He feels his face heating up as he strips away the clothes he was given the night before, sitting awkwardly on the table. Angela turned her back and instead favored trading the clipboard for some sort of black tablet to give him at least a moment of privacy. When she turns back, Jacob is sitting cross-legged on the table. 

"Alright. Are you currently on any medications?" She asks, bringing a stethoscope to his chest. It's cold. "Uh, no?" Angela switches the position of it to his back. "Deep breath." As he complies they repeat the routine on the other side of his back. 

The exam goes on and included her looking into his eyes, ears, and basically any opening into his body. She measured his height, weight, asked him a few questions like where he was born, his favourite animal and what he usually ate. Jacob admired her lack of embarrassment and cursed his own as she quite literally examined more private areas of his person before instructing him to redress himself. 

After that the two of them did some sort s of tests involving pictures and puzzles, as well as some more personal questions. Some of the conversational topics got Jacob teary-eyed as he answered, and Angela rubbed his back reassuringly. They could continue it at another time or take a break but in all honesty Jacob just wanted to get it over with so he could join everybody on their work later. 

Some time passed and when the doctor thinks whatever they have been doing involving the spiritual questions was enough, she had an analysis put together. Out of curiousity, Jacob gave it a look-over. It was in English, and some of the measurements were strange but Angela assured him the height and things were for the American higher-ups, and the rest of it was confidential. In a typed up script, the list went on. 

Name: Jacob Sa'ul  
Age: 20  
Height: 5'5  
Weight: 120lbs  
Sex: Male  
Gender: Male  
Nationality: Egyptian  
Physical Health: As Expected  
Mental Health: Good 

Patient is in good health given lifestyle and no physical abnormalities are present.  
Patient appears to be on the autism spectrum and occasionally has difficulty focusing on uninteresting topics or conversations, but shows extremely high capability for problem-solving skills and mentally challenging situations. 

Patient reads at an extremely fast rate of 1200 words per minute on average, and tests conclude that 97% of accurate information is retained. 

Recommended for engineering fields and should only be placed as a field agent after physical training. 

Angela explained some of the phrasings to him, leaving Jacob amazed. He felt smart. The run-down of his mental and physical health would probably be given to a higher officer in the form of a bit more of a censored report, which given the fact that Jacob cried three times during their discussion was probably a good thing. 

After that, Angela insisted on him going to meet the other agents and introduce himself stating that "You're going to have to meet them eventually, might as well be the one to initiate it.". Great. 

There was excitement as well as a shred of anxiety thrown into the feelings welling up within Jacob, and he pads down the hallway in search of where the agents might be when he quite literally runs into one of them. He wasn't paying attention when he bumped against some mountain of a man, falling backward with a surprised yelp and was surely on a one-way trip to the ground before he's suddenly stopped. 

Something, or rather someone, had a grip on the back of his shirt and pulled him back to his feet, saving from the demise of kissing the polished floor. Jacob is patted on the back by the man he recognized as one of the people he saw in the cafeteria the other day. The man had a scar across a blinded eye and was wearing an outfit similar to Jacob's, as well as a friendly grin. 

"My apologies, friend! I did not see you there. I was just about to get you when our paths crossed!" There's a solid thud on Jacob's shoulder as the man puts a hand on it in a friendly gesture. Jacob gives him a small smile. "But of course, we must be introduced. I am Reinhardt, and it is a pleasure to meet you." He offers the smaller man a friendly handshake with a free hand, and Jacob is quite literally shaken with the strength behind it. "I, uh, I am Jacob..." Jacob says weakly. 

Reinhardt laughs with the booming voice he apparently possesses. "Of course! I am sure you and I will become the closest of comerades with time. I wanted to get you to show you the training yard--Athena told me you were with Miss Ziegler so I came over here. And here you are!" Reinhardt beckons Jacob to follow him with a hand, leading the way down the hall. "Everyone is awaiting your arrival. We are excited to see what you can do! The training field is this way, allow me to guide you." 

Without waiting for a confirming reply the man continues on, Jacob trailing after him with the quiet thoughts of what he can do and what exactly that meant as the pair of them headed down the hallway.


	6. Where The Sky Is Darkest

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Time passes and Jacob learns.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The picture! http://imgur.com/TMsdk4q.png

The color green is the one that humans can see the most of and differentiate shades easiest. Men, however, are more often colorblind than women, and those affected are more likely to not be able to see green for what it is, giving them a grey area of sorts. 

 

Jacob spends the next week meeting the other members, who seem to be thrilled to introduce themselves much to his surprise. There were other new agents as well, though those ones have apparently been dished out to the few missions that have popped up in order to further their own experience, leaving the newest recruit with the senior members.

Reinhardt took the initiative once they had reached the training area to introduce him to the system, simulations and all that, as well as showing him the firing range. There were dozens of types of weapons for his practice and eventually he favors one despite his nervousness. A machine pistol of sorts was far more his speed than say, a bow or a rifle, much less any of the pulse weapons. It felt far more controllable. 

His aim wasn't half bad, so that's always good, but his uneasiness definitely showed whenever he was against a drone in the range so they settled to whip it out of him as time passes. Jacob was also set in a small group with the others for the more physical part of training. And oh, was that draining. There were muscles in his body that he didn't even know he had that were positively screaming, and the dull ache they left the next morning made him feel like jelly. 

It did get easier, however, and by the end of the second week he found that he could easily keep up with a few of the other, higher experienced agents. Morrison had calmly suggested that he should push himself, but not overwork his body to the point where he threw up. Which Jacob did. Twice. Still, it boosted his confidence knowing that the man that he thought didn't like him had his back, and so did the rest of the team. 

His English rapidly got better and he nailed the grammar rules for the most part with success, though some phrasings were still over his head Jacob felt a bit more centered once he got speaking fluently. A woman called Hana even drew him a picture*, one of Jacob and a cartoony-looking dog on the corner. He pinned it above his desk in his quarters with glee. 

Not everything, however, was exactly the best. After being introduced to Winston (who was quite literally a gorilla oh wow they weren't even joking) and being properly put into the Overwatch system, McCree suggested that he be put onto the field. 

“I’m just sayin’, nothing big as a first-time but there's that incident going down with Los Muertos--” “He isn't ready to go into the field--” Morrison had cut him off. Jesse, Jacob, Lena and Reinhardt joined him in a conference room of sorts. A holo-picture displayed the news from a few days ago from different areas in what appeared to be Mexico, all talking about how a firefight exploded in the middle of a city and a dozen or so civilians were killed, according to the briefing. 

Jacob wasn't exactly supposed to be in there, but instead was dragged along with Jesse, who insisted that he ‘strut his stuff to Jackie’. Egh. 

Morrison seemed less than pleased. Actually, he was so far from pleased that he might as well have been on the other side of the planet from pleased, if the angry tone in his voice is anything to go by. However, Jacob was glad that the man’s rage wasn't directed at him and was apparently instead focused on the hat-wearing man before him. 

“Listen. This is the perfect time to show those pendejos who is boss an’ I think this lil’ guy could use a chance to show off. He's been working real hard to work up to your damn super soldier standards and it ain't like he's gonna be alone in the mix.” The brunette raises his hat a little, waiting either for a reply or a fist in the jaw, or perhaps even both. “Plus, you did give me a month.” 

There was a quiet bit of chatter between Reinhardt and Morrison at that. Whatever the mountain of a man said it seemed to sate the burning rage within the Commander, because with an angry sigh he picked up the holopad displaying the images and turned to Jacob, much to Jesse’s smug pleasure. 

“Damn you, McCree…” Jacob heard Morrison mumble before the holopad was suddenly handed to him to look over. It was a little gruesome, with security camera stills and news-capped photos of a large group of brightly coloured folks opening fire against another group, in the middle of a square. Lena made the move to speak. 

“The gang known as Los Muertos suddenly had a spike in appearance, and as you can see, whatever sort of fight they had against the other people…” she trailed off, swallowing thickly. There was a short pause before Lena put on a determined look. “Some people were killed. But that is where we come in! We have some info that they may have had some inter-conflict with their own gang which may have started this sudden shoot-off.” Morrison swipes the screen to another group of pictures, mainly showing a warehouse along with some glow-in-the-dark graffiti littering it and the surrounding buildings. 

McCree goes to add on, instead, leaving a very slightly teary-eyed British girl to sit back down in her chair. “We have evidence to assume this is where they are holding illegal weapons, and seems to be serving as a base for a good majority of the gang. If we take it down, take them out, we might be able to slow Los Muertos down enough before they kill themselves and everybody around them.”

Another swipe from Morrison makes the hologram disappear and instead on the screen of device is a large paragraph of text. “Read the report for further details. If you're going, I want you geared and completely ready by 0800 tonight. Dismissed.” The tablet is slid back to Jack, and with that Lena and Reinhardt move to leave along with their Commander. Jesse sticks with Jacob, who is both excited and anxious. What if he messes up? 

He looks up at McCree silently, who seems more than happy to attempt to relieve the other of the stress. “I know, I know. Firs’ mission is always the most excitin’ one of ‘em all, and you scored big. Los Muertos is one nasty bunch of motherfuckers, and this is comin’ from a street rat.” There's a pat on Jacob’s shoulder, and McCree holds onto the brim of his ridiculous hat to shoot the shorter man a reassuring grin, earning a crooked smile in return. 

“So, you want to get suited up for later? S’always a hell of a lot easier to do that now than later, trust me. ‘Specially since you need to pick out armour that fits you good and suits whatever Morrison has planned fer you to do out there.” He beckons Jacob to follow him out of the room as he continues. “He’s probably gonna have you go with him and Lena to look the place over before we start a stampede of the Los Muertos right dead center into our bullets. I'm just hoping Morrison is going to do this the easy way..” 

There's a low grumble from the taller man which makes Jacob shiver a bit. The two shuffle down the hall, giving a few of the other agents a quick greeting before they head into a side room that seems to be dedicated exclusively for armor. A shiny, black room that is filled wall to wall with chest plates, vests, pads, helmets, and boots all of varying styles and sizes just ready for the ones who need them to seize. McCree shuffles further into the room, looking over the chest plates and quietly pondering the style. 

Jacob curiously looks the rack of the vests over. One of them catches his eye--a white and grey camouflaged one full of various pockets and too many straps that should be considered necessary. He pulled it off of the rack and Jesse gives him a low whistle of approval. “I was figuring you seemed to be more of the bullet-proof best kind of guy, but looks like that's some sort of Kevlar abomination.” With a quiet snort, the other man inspects the various straps. “Looks like climbing gear if you ask me. Whatever floats your boat, though.” 

The two of them go through the rest of the gear Jacob might need, and by the time that seven-thirty rolls around the next day Jacob is as fit as a fiddle. 

The outfit consists of the vest, as well as a Kevlar white helmet and a pair of black pants and knee pads. The boots originally given to him were traded for grey ones that didn't go practically up to his thighs with the sizing and instead comfortably hugged his knees. Machine gun in holster, ammo clips adorning his belt and a communicator snug in his ear, perhaps he was more ready for the mission than he thought. 

There was a hover ship waiting for him and the other agents expected to attend the mission, which to his surprise was a few more than he expected. As Jesse ushers him into the vehicle, he finds a person he hadn't met before. A woman with black hair and a head seat of some sort was drawing on a tablet, sitting with her legs neatly folded before her. Morrison and Reinhardt were already boarded, and as the door shut behind Jesse and him, Jacob couldn't help but feel a bit nervous 

The woman gave Jacob but a glance before continuing his work, and before Jacob could introduce himself Lena’s voice suddenly echoed down from the bow of the ship. “We’ll be taking off in a few, so make yourselves comfortable! And McCree, try not to make any Lost jokes this time, or else our poor friend won't make it to his first mission!” There was a quiet echo of high-pitched, friendly laughter that was joined by McCree’s quiet chuckle. Jacob didn't catch the reference but could tell it was good natured. 

Commander Morrison gave Jacob an approving nod. “We will be there around noon--that is, assuming that the jets decide to pull their weight. Remember Sri Lanka?” He looks to McCree before the two both laugh. “Aw, shucks, the damn thing just did not want to fly.” McCree nods, pretending to wipe a tear. 

Eventually the three of them get seated. Jacob sat in between Reinhardt and the mystery woman from earlier. He couldn't help himself but to look over at the woman’s tablet amidst everyone else's small talk to pass the time. She seemed to be sketching out plans for a sort of…camera? It looked like an old version of a desktop camera he saw in his studying abroad. 

His nosiness doesn't go unnoticed (heh), and within seconds the woman raises a brow at him. In a voice that absolutely radiates confidence, she snips. “The least you could do is ask to see what I am working on rather than act like some sort of curious bird.” Jacob goes to defend himself before seeing the slightest hint of a smile on her face, and decided to join her. “Ah, well, I like drawing and building too, so..” The woman catches him and offers to show him the face of the tablet for a better look. 

“I am glad you and I share similar interests. I am designing a more effective turret that is sure to aid us in this mission. I am also curious about the new agent. Jacob Sa’ul, was it?” She tucks the tablet back into her lap when he nods. “Satya Vaswani, though my callsign is Symmetra, it is obviously not my name.” Stays tucks a loose strand of hair behind her ear before going back to her drawing. “And what is yours?” 

Reinhardt suddenly jumps into the conversation from reading a book that seems a bit too small for his hands. “Our friend here does not yet have one. But not everyone gets one! I prefer to use my true name to strike fear into our enemies and confidence in our comrades!” He pounds a first over his chest, and right there the ship moves. 

Jacob isn't sure he'll ever get over the sickening momentum of takeoff, the way your body suddenly sort of moves without moving. It was strange. Satya seems unimpressed with the display if the way she side-eyes Reinhardt is any evidence. “And what will you do if the enemy reveals your identity and uses it to further their means?” Reinhardt says nothing, instead going back to his book. 

The quiet tapping of a plastic pen on a tablet and idle chatter from around the hovership doesn't quite reach Jacob as he suddenly sort of fades out. Callsign, huh? What could he use for one? It's not like it's necessary for his case, at least, but if he wanted to choose one, what would it be is the question he quietly asks himself as their ride to Mexico drags on, leaving Jacob somehow alone with his thoughts.


	7. When The Moon Is Full

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The mission is not exactly going as planned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> comment my dudes

Several hours pass, and Jacob is working hard to befriend this new figure. 

Symmetra as she calls herself is friendly enough. Jacob actually isn't quite sure how to think of her, and though he knows he can be a little quick to judge it is a little difficult to pin any negative things to the woman. With gold eyes and a stern face she radiates confidence, but there's still an aura about her that Jacob enjoys, making her approachable despite her hard features. She is quite beautiful, in all fairness, and the brunette can't help but feel somehow self-conscious in her radiance. Enough melting over her, however, for Jack seems to have some intel about the mission if the way he shuffles a holopad over to the group of them is any indication. 

Everyone looks to him, and Jack opens up some pictures on it, which Jacob recognizes as the stills from before. “So, as you may already know, we are going to try and take the warehouse we have reason to believe that Los Muertos is holding illegal weapons and may be staking out.” The picture switches to a closer shot of the building. The warehouse is massive, and Jacob thinks it looked looks weirdly familiar. Maybe the style of building? He glances to the other people around him, studying the serious looks on their faces and his eyebrows furrow in response. 

Morrison continues. “So, we need a pair to sneak into the warehouse. There are a few windows, but we need someone with some climbing skill to get in. We have the gear, but Jacob, you're the smaller one and the one with far higher experience in this field, considering.” Jack gestures to the man in question, who nods in agreement. He had absolutely excelled in climbing, and with the technology available who knows how far he could go? The thought of sneaking into a base like this, however… 

The picture swipes off and Jack sets the tablet down, looking back to the group. “Tracer is going to stay with the ship. McCree and I are going through the front door after Jacob opens it from the inside. It's no doubt locked on the inside, and once we blow the door down, Symmetra will have put turrets on the doors to prevent any gang members from making a run for it.” He nods to Satya. She gestures with her hands, and much to Jacob’s amazement she quite literally pulls something out of thin air, blue light quickly weaving itself into some sort of small cyan hexagon. 

She slaps it onto Jacob’s shoulder, and it suddenly expands, scaling over Jacob like armour before the colour almost instantly fades to clear. Under close inspection there is still some sort of distortion, and Jacob gives Satya a curious look. “All of you shall receive armour that the turrets will not target. An excellent idea, since a beam of a hard-light turret could turn a human into a burning puddle within twenty-three seconds.” Satya seems quite satisfied with such a gruesome fact, and the briefing goes on. 

“Reinhardt will be on call as backup in case we need more--” “THEY SHALL FALL BEFORE US, AND PAY FOR THE INNOCENT LIVES THEY HAVE TAKEN!” Reinhardt suddenly booms out, pounding a fist on his chest as the book that was on his lap goes flying with how fast he stood up and oh man that is a massive hammer. How did Jacob miss it? Jack seems more than unimpressed with the interruption, but doesn't let it bother him for long. Rather, he nods with a bit of irritation lacing his tone as he addresses McCree. “McCree, you and I are going in once the door opens. Don't do anything stupid.” 

McCree raises his hands defensively, giving the commander a lazy grin. “Me? Aw shucks, Jack, what kind a’ man do ya take me for?” Jacob smiles a little. “An idiot. Anyway, Jacob. You're going to scale the wall, open the door. Do not engage, you hear me?” Jack opens a grey plastic crate and hands Jacob a small black cylinder with straps hanging off of it, and a pair of gloves with red padding. Putting them on, he gives Jack a confused look. “It's a motorized hook. Attach it to the windowsill and press the button once you open the door--don't let it catch on anything or you'll snap your neck hitting something on the ascend.” 

The sincerity in his voice makes Jacob sweat, but he attaches the cylinder to the front of his chest as Jack instructs him, suddenly thankful for all the strange straps on his vest. “That is not in the plan, so I do not expect that I will do so.” Jacob gives Jack a smirk, which causes McCree to burst out laughing and Jack to let out a sigh. Reinhardt and Symmetra seem equally amused, but the humour quickly dies down into a serious aura as Lena alerts them that they will be arriving soon. 

Everyone was given earpieces that were synced, allowing team-wide communication. A look out the window left Jacob in awe. The city was huge, full of different colours and light that made it appear like a painting, or a really iconic postcard. Even though the sun was still up, there were strings of lights and people crowding the streets and squares. Different shades of purple and blue squares cover the stands and little kiosks in the square, and Jacob pressed against the window excitedly as they land behind a large building. 

As the ship lands everyone goes through their weapon inventory (minus Reinhardt of course), gear adjustments and last-minute clothing fixes and questions they may have had before the engines die down to a deep, quiet rumble. With a metallic noise the door opens and Lena chirps through the intercom. “Alright, we’re parked a few streets away from the warehouse! Do be careful out there!” 

Symmetra sets the tablet down neatly and trades it for a large, clawed gun of some sort. Soldier (they had gone through the whole nickname thing earlier, but Jack and Satya were the only ones who had them that were on the mission.) had a large pulse rifle resting on his shoulder as he looked to the team. Once they got his nod of approval they all headed out. Jack and Jacob arrived to the warehouse first, Satya and Jesse close behind. There was a single Los Muertos member outside, who was taken care of courtesy to Jesse quickly. 

Satya began lining the main doorway with a few turrets she made out of thin air, all of which adhering silently to the large door. Jesse hid behind the corner of he front with her after the job was finished, Jack leading Jacob to another side of the building. He was right; there was a window and it was easily thirty feet up. The warehouse was even bigger than Jacob thought, and a small feeling of dread made itself known in the man’s gut. 

Still, he had a job to do. Jack, after giving the area a quick look, knelt down and set the rifle beside him, lacing his fingers together. Jacob took the hint and carefully took Jack’s offer, stepping over and putting his hands on the lager man’s shoulders and his foot on his hand. After a brief pause and a quiet countdown Jacob is suddenly lifted high, enough force giving him at least three feet higher than how tall Jack stands. Quickly reaching for purchase on the side of the wall he grabs for the indents of where metal meets metal. The gloves have some sort of effect in keeping Jacob secured to the wall, and when he looks down he finds Jack is gone.

Carefully climbing up the side of the wall, a few voices suddenly start chattering in his ear. “The turrets have been placed.” Satya muses over the coms. “McCree and I are ready when you open the door. When you give us the signal, pull the lever and then use the hook to exit the building.” Jack huffs quietly. The rest of the team were waiting on Jacob, the fact both exciting and worrying him. What if he fails? The first mission he's on he's not only giving a defining lead, but such high expectation. 

Jacob pulls himself to the windowsill. It wouldn't have worked if any other member of the team tried to do it for him, he deduces with just how narrow the window is. He hooks his fingers underneath the glass and pulls up, almost startling himself with how easy the thing budges. The window opens up almost silently, and after ensuring that it will stay open, he quietly confirms the so far success of his part. “I'm on the window--it wasn't locked. I'm going to go in.” Jacob pulls on the hook that is attached to the motor on the device on his chest, hooking it onto the upper part of the windowsill. With how easy the hook pulled from him, he finds himself a slight bit worried about the actual success of this device. 

After ensuring that the hook is snug he slides through the opening, and ohhh jeez. The entire warehouse is filled with crates, some open and revealing weaponry of various types. That part wasn't surprising. What was surprising was the black ship parked in the middle of it. It had a strange red marking on it, and Jacob whispers nervously into the com. “Uhh. Uh, I don't think this is a good idea--it, it's not a warehouse, it's a hangar and there's a big black jet in it..” 

He didn't hear a response, however. Despite his anxiety from the silence, Jacob uses the line he secured to quickly rappel down the side of the building, making a run for the front door only to duck behind a crate. A tall, cloaked figure was speaking to a small group of Los Muertos members, several people by the man in varying shades of greys and black. All of them were heavily armed and dangerous looking, and their conversation quickly dropped as the tall one looked back to where Jacob was. He ducked instantly, sort of curling himself right and hoping that the other didn't see him. 

There was a long pause before the chatter continued in a language Jacob didn't understand, nor care about. A quick glance over the crate he was hiding behind gave him a clear path to the front door and the large lever aside it. 

Jacob felt sweat forming on his forehead, making his curly bangs stick to his face under the helmet and he weighed out his options. Why wasn't anyone talking to him? Why was there a ship and all of these strangers here--were the gang members in the middle of a trade? Something was going on and Jacob wasn't sure if he wanted to find out just what. 

He willed himself back to his feet but still crouched, hearing the chatter behind him he greenlights the plan he made in his head and he moves to sneak to the edge of the crate.  
Once he deemed himself close enough to the end of his cover, he makes a run for the door. A group of surprised voices suddenly echo and he finds the door before him riddling with bullets, the sound hurting his ears, but he was just so close. 

Jacob reached out for the handle only to find himself suddenly going farther and farther away from the door, letting out a surprised yelp as he's suddenly lifted off of his feet by the collar of his vest. Jacob felt his stomach dropped and he was turned to face a bone-white mask, the voice behind it cackling. The sound of the man’s voice made the hair raise on the back of Jacob’s neck and he looked to the man in horror. 

There was some glitching voices in his ear and he finds a woman he didn't notice before waving at him with long nails and a playful grin. She started talking to him in the language he heard earlier before switching to English, a heavy accent and a jesting tone lacing her words. “Oh, did you think we did not see you hiding? I meant to call an exterminator, but until then we know how to get rid of rats when we see them.” She smirked, and the hand holding the back of his vest moved to toss him before the group, who were sneering and gesturing to him. 

The impact of Jacob hitting concrete rattled him, making him feel like a ragdoll thrown by a child. He glared up at the mask despite his worry. “Get them on the ship, Sombra, we’re leaving.” The masked man snarled to the woman from before, who pouts before going with the grey-clad figures and several crates on a dolly. The group of them head to the ship, which stirs to life once they are onboard. 

Jacob looks back from the ship to the man in black, only to find himself staring up the barrel of a shotgun. The surrounding Los Muertos snipped back and forth to one another before looking to the man in the mask. “I don't need some pendejo snitching about our product here. And what if there are more of them outside?” The man seems to be shaking angrily as he turns to the skull-tattooed man before him, not moving his gun from Jacob’s direction. 

In a quick gesture of Jacob possibly throwing what little chance of survival out the window he kicks the gun to the side and bolts, much to the surprise of the group behind him as he wrenches the lever open. The front door whirrs and opens, Jack and McCree running in the second they have enough room to do so. Both of them seem taken aback by the ship roaring to life before them but their surprise is short-lived as they suddenly have an entire group of Los Muertos plus the mystery man before them. 

Jesse clenches his fist and the glare he gives the masked man almost scared him, and the bark Jack gives to him is animalistic at best. “Reyes. What the hell are you doing here!?” Morrison demands. Jacob didn't get to catch the rest of their exchange, however. He pressed the button on the device attached to him, and suddenly finds himself sliding across the concrete at an alarming rate, only to be lifted high into the air where the hook was attached to the window. Jack was right; Jacob would probably break something if he knocked against something going that fast. 

He hears gunshots behind him, both from a pistol and a shotgun. The building shakes slightly as Jacob frantically unhooks the line from the windowsill and he watches the roof of the building open, the black ship slowly rising out of it. The door to it was open, and it wasn't long before smoke suddenly pours into it, the doors of the plane closing after. Jacob scurries down the side of the building, scraping his knees during the landing and he takes off. He runs to the front of the building and looks inside, only to duck to the side as a flurry of bullets head his way. 

Whatever was wrong with his communication devices seems to have subsided as a wave of different voices frantically flood his ear. Reinhardt, coming out of nowhere, suddenly charges past Jacob and into the building with a roar. Symmetra is on the other side of the building from earlier, her gun firing large blue balls of energy into the opening of the building. 

Suddenly, the firefight stops quickly as it started, the Overwatch team running out of the building. Jacob follows after them, glancing back to the building only to have Jack shove him in the right direction. “Move! Go back to the ship, now!” He barked, and Jacob ran along with them. The very instant all of them were within the belly of the ship the door shut with a hiss, and it took off with enough force and speed to almost knock Jacob over. 

Lena’s voice called out to the rest of the team. “Talon is escaping! They have weapons and a fighter-class ship!” Jack runs up to the cockpit end of the ship and Jacob can make out the sound of him barking out orders, the ship suddenly swerving to the side. This time he was knocked off his feet, but was caught by Satya, who looked quite tired. 

After regaining his balance and looking around, everyone seemed to be well enough, considering. Nobody appeared to be riddled with bullets, which was a plus. Either that, or they were, and just couldn't see it. Reinhardt and Jesse flock to the cockpit, and Satya inspects her mechanical arm. It seemed to be somehow damaged, perhaps whatever energy she used to create the turrets was drained. 

Jacob runs to a window and finds that they're no longer over the city, but over the ocean instead. Before them the black ship is flying away in an attempt to flee them, and at the other end of their own ship the rest of the team seems to be arguing about their next move. He catches Reinhardt’s worried attempts at convincing them to go back to Mexico and finish the mission whereas Jesse seems to he insisting that they catch ‘Reaper’. 

Their argument was cut short by the metallic ringing of bullets embedding in their own ship, and it wheels to the side in response. Jacob clings to cargo netting and looks back to the cockpit. Jack and McCree run out, and Lena shouts over the intercom. “They’re firing at us, I’m giving her all that I got but they're breaking through our shields!” 

Jack snarls in response and slams a fist on the wall, turning to Jacob before approaching him. Jacob steps back, afraid, and is suddenly grabbed firmly by the shoulders and shook violently by the angry man before him. “What the hell happened in there!? Why didn't you say anything! Talon was in there, Gabe was in there, and you were just fucking around--” McCree puts a hand on Jack and shoots him a defensive look. “It ain't his fault, dammit, there's no way we would have known--”  
Jack barks at Jesse, practically shoving Jacob to the side. “This changes everything about the fucking mission! They're going to get away because of him--!” 

Jack's lecture was suddenly cut off as an explosion in the side of the ship shakes them, knocking them all to their feet. The damage rips open the side of the ship, exposing it to let them gawk at the sea several hundred feet below them. Lena screams over the intercom and the ship slowly rolls to the side. “We’re hit! The engines are failing--hold on!!” She shrieks as red lights flash and alarms blare. 

Jacob finds himself sliding towards the opening along with McCree, whose hat falls as he scrambles for purchase. Satya is clinging to the cargo netting along with Jack, the pair of them watching in horror as Jacob and McCree slide out of the ship. 

Jacob lets out a shriek as he suddenly falls back-first, watching as the ship he was just in slowly gets farther away. The side was almost melted and one of the engines was smoking. The black ship seems to have gotten away, and Jacob stared wide-eyed at the group still in the ship. 

Jack slides on his stomach, grabbing ahold of McCree by his serape only for the man to slip out of it, Jesse grabbing for it only for the fabric to tear on Jack’s end, Jesse yelling as he plummets towards the water along with Jacob. The ship turns, but it doesn't take a genius to understand that there's no time to try and catch the pair. Jesse is awkwardly spiriting and Jacob grabs for him, the two locking hands and looking to eachother desperately. 

There are tears running down Jacob’s face (or rather droplets flying upwards) and he looks to McCree, quietly wondering if this is going to be the last thing he sees. Jesse pulls the man closer, straightening the two of them out and wrapping his arms around Jacob tight. 

The two of them fall in a pencil-like position, and the last thing Jacob can remember is the hushed apology uttered by the man by him as the two quickly approach the water.


	8. Where The Stars Are Strange

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Perspective is key.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's set mainly in Jesse's POV for this one!

The kid was something, to say the least. 

Jesse learned a lot from hanging out with Jacob. For one, he's a man of more words than most, but the stuttering and language barrier on top of an already-anxious person didn't exactly give much leeway for verbal communication. And more often than not, even if Jacob knew the phrase or wording for something he needed, it was frustrating for him to convey it. Jesse was fine with it, of course; he got the gist of Jacob’s perspective and tried his best to be supportive. 

Jesse, Hana, Lúcio and Jacob enjoyed playing video game tournaments in their free time (Jacob especially what with all the physical stress of training) and they always laughed amidst Jacob’s protests (“No! That's my ship!! Go get McCree’s!!” he squawked) in the lounge, the atmosphere always exciting. 

Jacob was also a damn good artist. Pictures of various teammates littered the cork bird above the man’s desk, all smiling. One of them even had Jack in it, much to Jesse’s delight. The room was littered in various metal pieces, wiring, and discarded drawing. There was a weathered notebook on his desk, too, but it looked important and McCree didn't want to pry. 

Sometimes Jesse could see Jacob get upset to the point he would cry only to later apologize furiously for the behavior. “It's okay to cry, you know? Don't let other people’s opinions a’ your emotions get to ya.” He had assured the smaller man, which earned him a trusting smile amidst the tears. 

His capabilities in problem-solving skills and concerning situations is why Jesse suggested he be added to the main team against Los Muertos. 

Initially, the team was going to force the front gate of the warehouse open with either machinery or if it came down to it, explosives. But as Jacob progressed he revealed to be an absolutely excellent climber, which McCree was a bit jealous of. 

A few of the new recruits who had joined before Jacob didn't get as much attention from McCree. It's not that he doesn't like them--he and Salchow play some video games with Hana. And Rose was absolutely apeshit bananas good at kicking McCree’s ass in a sparring match, if only she keeps kicking him in the jewels. 

But Jacob wasn't excessively open and happy-go-lucky, nor was he completely introverted. It was kind of hard to judge the man based on his exterior, and if Jesse knew anything it's not to judge a book by a cover. Especially a new recruit. 

McCree and him talked often, and the younger seemed to be very amused with how Jesse used the similes and expressions and Jesse liked how funny Jacob could be with bad puns. And oh god were they bad. (They made Lúcio roll his eyes so hard he almost fell over.) 

And he was damn smart. Jack just needed to give him a chance and surely he'll come out of his little shell. So when McCree was briefed about the Los Muertos mission, he insisted that they use Jacob to get into the warehouse, rather than have the boy tag along with Jack to scope the area as originally planned. It's not a field trip, after all. 

When the door didn't open as quickly as they had hoped, however, something was wrong. A deep feeling of guilt and worry settled in McCree as he tried to contact the other, but as the door finally opened he found himself enraged. Reaper. 

The situation exploded from there, and looking back honestly Jesse didn't even remember most of what happened. What he does remember is his vision going red and him just barely getting nicked by a bullet or two. So how did he get here?   
There was wind rushing past his ears and his vision was a little blurry. He's staring up at some sort of metal monster with a gaping mouth with his friends within. 

Reality hit him much like the explosion that tore him from the ship he was looking at. Or at least, trying to--the man was spiraling like a discarded rag doll thrown by a toddler. He somehow manages to stabilize himself, limbs splayed out as he gave the fast-approaching water a look. 

Something has his hands, and when he looks up there's Jacob and oh god he looks so small and scared. Jesse grabs the man and pulls him close, straightening out his legs and forcing the two of them into a pencil-like form. Honestly, Jesse wasn't sure if they would survive this mess. He's done too many things in his life and wondered if Fate caught up to him after all these years of running. 

The bastard. 

It was Jesse’s fault that they're in this situation, staring Death in the face as they plummet. He finds himself apologizing quietly, digging his fingers into the fabric of the other man’s gear. And then they hit the water. 

It was like getting punched in the face by God. Jesse feels a sharp pain running from his ankles to his shins and a blow to the back of his head. There are blue triangles fragmenting and shattering like glass off of his body. Symmetra’s shields--he owes her one when he gets back. If he gets back. 

The water is freezing and he kicks up to the surface, gasping. The impact made him let go of Jacob, and as he swivels the man is no where to be found. His leg is throbbing and it hurts to move it, but he forces himself to tread water regardless. He calls out for Jacob, dipping below the surface to find any sort of flash of white fabric or cherry hair. Jesse comes back up, coughing. 

“McCree!” 

Jesse spins, spotting the ship. It had landed and Symmetra was using hard-light to patch up the hole in the hull as the ship slowly makes its way to the cowboy. Jack’s visor was off, and he was hanging off of a bar by the doorway. “Where's Jacob?” He asked frantically, eyes scanning the surface of the water. Jesse swims to the ship, Jack pulling him into the bay of it with a huff and McCree lands with a pained grunt. “I-I dropped him, he’s in the water…” 

With a wheeze, Jesse rolls onto his side. His vision was still rather blurry from the landing, and he thinks he may have snapped a few ribs landing but it beats a broken neck. 

Jack glances back to where Jesse was, doing a worried double-take before pulling off his leather jacket and tossing it behind him into the ship. He dives into the water, paddling to around where Jesse was spotted before diving beneath the surface. 

Lena and Reinhardt were with Jesse, pulling him further into the ship. Symmetra seemed focused on holing up the ship, and they all seemed fine. Jacob, on the other hand…With a wheeze Jesse props himself up onto his elbows, staring out into the ocean where Jack disappeared. “Don’t move too much, love…” Lena cautioned, gently rubbing his shoulder. 

Jack appears above water, taking a deep breath before diving back down. The cowboy feels anxiety welling up within him, the thought of him being responsible for the kids’ death on his first mission almost too much. The last thing Jacob heard was Jack scolding him about his failure. If they didn't find Jacob, the boy will die feeling hated. The thought of that as well as pain made tears well up in his eyes. 

The group was startled by Jack resurfacing, this time holding up Jacob by the hole of the ship. He drags the curly-haired man onto the ship by the back of his vest, where he lands onto his side, motionless. “Oh, oh no…” Lena’s mouth opens in shock, her hand moving in front of it. Jack climbs into the ship, rolling Jacob onto his back. His eyes are closed, and he wasn't moving.

Jack grabbed the man by the shoulders, forcing him upright. “Come on..” He growled, shaking him slightly. Jacob’s head lolled around, and he looked so pale-- 

Jack gently lets Jacob back onto his back, putting an ear to his chest. The group goes silent for a moment and when Jack lifts his head up, the grim look on his face tells it all. Reinhardt drops to his knees, rubbing circles on Jacob’s shoulder as if to comfort him. 

A few tears rolled down Jesse’s face as he snarled at Jack. “You made him feel like he was trash.” Jack looks to Jesse, appearing almost startled. His eyebrows furrowed and Jesse snapped. “You made him feel like he was trash!! Like he ain't worth shit to ya. He's gonna die thinkin’ you fuckin’ hate him over something he couldn't control.” 

Jesse ignored his screaming body as he sort of crawled over to Jacob’s lifeless body, putting his hands on his chest and pumping. In training they had practiced CPR, or at the very least a rather old form of it. He leaned down and forces are down Jacob’s windpipe, quietly pulling back and mouthing syllables as he attempted to rhythmically bring Jacob back. Jesse didn't know how much time passed, but when he feels a firm hand on his shoulder he feels more tears streaming down his face. Looking up, Jesse faces Jack, who is holding a slightly torn square of fabric. His serape. 

 

“He’s gone, Jesse. I’m sorry.” 

Jesse curls his hands up into fists, and shoots a look at Satya. “Make a teleporter to Gibraltar.” She looks back to Jesse, blinking. “...It is unwise to do so, creating a path over such a large distance could be--” Jesse snatches the serape from Jack with a grunt, and puts it over Jacob’s torso, sort of covering him as if it were a blanket. “Just do it for me, please. I can't just...give up on him.” 

With a long moment in silence as Satya visibly thinks over it, she pads over to Jacob once the hole in the ship is repaired. She kneels down before him, and seems sad. “...He was very kind to me. I will do what I can, but it is dangerous to be this far away from the other end of the path. But, I will attempt to do it.” 

With that she nods and stands back up, facing away from the group and using her gauntlet to create an oblong, teal sort of energy before them. “The path has opened. Go.” It wasn't a suggestion, and with that Jesse forces himself to stand, cradling Jacob as they limp through the teleporter. It felt like jumping back into the water, a cold feeling rushing over him and making the brunette shiver. 

When he takes another step, he's suddenly inside of the Watchpoint, in one of the lounge rooms much to the surprise of Angela and Emily whose conversation was interrupted by the sudden teleported appearing out of nowhere. Jesse fees pain shooting back up to his thigh and he almost collapses, setting Jacob onto a couch before he himself slumps onto his side. The two women rush over to the pair. 

“Oh my god, what happened? Jesse, are you alright?” Emily questions nervously. Angela runs off for a moment, running back with a med kit. When she puts a hand onto Jesse’s forehead, however, he gently moves it aside and instead to Jacob. “...I need a favor, Ange’..” he huffed. Emily stares at Jacob in horror. “Bring him back.”

Blue eyes flicker over the recruit’s body, sadness in them but a shred of determination still visible. “...I shall try my best. Emily, I need you to get Miss Amari in here, please. Hurry.” With a nod the other woman runs off, leaving the trio alone in the lounge. Angela pulls out a small device from the kit, a form of scanner she's using to judge the extent of Jacob’s injuries. McCree gets a shot in the bicep for the pain, and he rambles on about the warehouse and Talon and the ship and they were falling and he as fucking terrified, Angela--

There's a steady stream of a gold light coming from a device not unlike her statf, and it wraps around Jacob like a ribbon. He still doesn't move, and Jesse looks to Angela with worry. She grimaces as she looks over the scanner. “...It seems that he has several ribs broken from your attempt to resuscitate him, as well as a broken leg, wrist…” she trailed off, clicking the device like a pen and pocketing it. 

Right there, Emily runs back with Ana in toe. The woman is also carrying a large med kit and she kneels down to treat Jesse, who tries to shake her off. “Calm down, McCree. I am not going to sugar coat this for you.” Ana stands up, looking over Jacob along with Angela. “...It is unlikely that we can bring him back. But I will do my best.” Angela says to break the silence. Jesse fees sweat rolling down his forehead, which causes Amari to look back to him with a frown. 

“We are going to get you to the medbay. And, because I know how you are..” she trails off, pulling out a shot. “...You are going to be sedated. Doctor’s orders.” She said, and instead of listening to the man’s protest she sticks the needle in his thigh. McCree hisses at the feeling, blinking furiously. “..God damn it, Ana, why can't I be there for him?” 

He didn't want to be put to sleep to pass the time. What he wanted to be was there for Jacob, regardless of what happens. Surely the rest of his team are on their way back home too--they would all be there except Jesse, who feels the cold fluid run through his veins. 

She stands back up as Jesse feels his limbs go heavy. “You will be, when he wakes up.” Jesse tried to force himself to move but somehow the hard wood floor of the lounge was just so comfortable, and the world started spinning. It was like he was falling again, but this time it was far more pleasant as his vision goes black. 

In the darkness, he hears a quiet noise akin to music, as if the nothingness of his dreams was singing to him.

**Author's Note:**

> this first one is short but itll get better i promise


End file.
